The Shalom hills have been covered in the bloom of blue Neelakurinji flowers. According to the officials, more than 10 acres of land have been blanketed with these rare blooms in Shalom Kunnu. However, the hills are not open for tourists because of Covid-19.
Strobilanthes Kunthiana, also known as Neelakurinji and Kurinji in Malayalam and Tamil, is a shrub that is found in the Shola forests of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Here is all you need to know about these rare flowers:
Neelakurinji Variety:
According to the reports, there are around 46 species of Neelakurinji in India and these flowers are native to the Shola forest of the Western Ghats. There are around 30 spots in the Western Ghats that are home to such flowers. The spot where the flowers bloomed this year witnessed the flowering 12 years ago. These Kunthiana species need 12 years for flowering, and as such the next bloom in these hills is expected by 2033.
This time because of the COVID pandemic, tourists are not allowed to visit the hills. The blooming of these flowers is considered special for people in Idukki.
These flowers were first sighted in 2006 in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They were then witnessed in 2016 and then bloomed after 12 years when the state government, to commemorate the rare sighting, released a stamp and declared the year as the Year of Kurinji.
The complete blossoming of these flowers after 12 long years comes after isolated flowering was reported last year from Anakara Mettu Hills of the Western Ghats bordering Tamil Nadu, Puttady near Thondimala, and the border village of Shantanpura Gram Panchayat.
Aren’t these pretty?
